Former Ottawa Senator Cody Ceci Gets a Second Wind in Edmonton

After leading all Edmonton Oilers defencemen in ice time in the Western Conference clincher, Ceci is now headed to the Stanley Cup Final.

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Cody Ceci is an Ottawa guy through and through. 

Ceci was born here, played his minor hockey here, and spent four years as a top player on the OHL's Ottawa 67s. In 2003, a 10-year-old Cody even got to throw on the gear at a Sens game and line up for the anthem alongside Senators' star Mike Fisher.

So when Ceci's hometown Senators drafted him 15th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, he had been on their radar for quite a while.

GM Bryan Murray reportedly checked in with three different teams at that Draft, thinking he had to pull off a deal to move up if he was going to get Ceci. Murray was thrilled he was still there at 15 when it was Ottawa's turn to pick.

Ceci's six years with the Senators were up and down, and he never quite lived up to the hype of being a first-round selection. Ottawa fans are historically hard on defencemen no matter where they're from.

So at age 26, Ceci was traded to Toronto along with Ben Harpur, Aaron Luchuk and a 2020 third-round draft pick in exchange for Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown and Michael Carcone. Presumably, this deal had the blessing of new head coach D.J. Smith, who had just left Toronto and taken over the Senators two months earlier. Zaitsev ended up getting a rougher ride from the fan base than Ceci ever did.

Ceci lasted just one year in Toronto and then one year in Pittsburgh and seemed destined to be one of those guys that forever bounces around the league.

That is until 2021, when Ceci signed a four-year, $13 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers. As with his other stops in the league, it hasn't always been smooth sailing in Edmonton. 

But what happened on Sunday night spoke volumes. 

In a game where the Oilers had a chance to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006, it was Ceci, now 30, who led all Oiler defenceman in ice time (21:35). And with the game on the line and the Dallas net empty in the final minute, Ceci was out there helping to successfully defend the lead.

Ceci is never going to be a Norris Trophy candidate, but the best evaluation of a defenceman's play will never be found on Twitter, podcasts or sports talk radio. It will always be on the scoresheet under "time on ice." Clearly, Oiler coach Kris Knoblauch trusts Ceci and through three rounds of the playoffs, it appears to be paying off. 

And for a player that's been so often criticized in his career, it's nice to see the Ottawa native getting this opportunity on hockey's biggest stage.